Electric bike rental

[C_Dave45]

I'm surprised that in Calgary I can't find a place that rents electric bikes. With the hundreds of km's of paved trails and the emphasis on biking I thought this was a given. Yes I know anyone in good health this isn't even an issue, but there must be a huge demographic of older people, those with bad knees, etc that would enjoy these.

When we were in San Diego we rented two Pedego electric bikes. My wife has real bad knees and after just a couple of km's or even one decent sized hill, she'll be in pain for days. so our biking has been reduced to pretty much nil. With these e-bikes, we rode about 30 miles the one day and it was awesome!!!
Normally I have to keep stopping for her to catch up, but she kept telling me to "hurry up old man, youre in my way!!"

6 hours the one day and we barely used one bar on the battery meter. Can get up to 25 km/h no problem. It was only $40 for the day for each bike. I'm thinking of getting one for the wifey so we can get back to our biking days.
They're not cheap...but I think it's worth it.

Pedego bikes (http://pedegoelectricbikes.ca)



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[phreezee]

They are definitely catching on as more of the bike shops started carrying at least one model in stock. The only dedicated shop in town is a rip off though, so stick to Bow, Ridley's etc.

No rentals though, and I think the first step would be
a Car2Go type bike rental racks you see in other cities.

I built my first ebike conversion this weekend actually.:D

[C_Dave45]

Originally posted by phreezee
They are definitely catching on as more of the bike shops started carrying at least one model in stock. The only dedicated shop in town is a rip off though, so stick to Bow, Ridley's etc.

No rentals though, and I think the first step would be
a Car2Go type bike rental racks you see in other cities.

I built my first ebike conversion this weekend actually.:D

Interesting. The closest Pedego retailer is Lethbridge. I'd like to try a different brand. There's a retailer in Richmond that is selling e-bikes for $1300...but I just don't think it would be near the same quality as a $3500 bike.

[jwslam]

Yea we rented those in Taiwan. The battery died in about 4-5 hours, albeit none of us were pedaling and we were pushing them at full speed all the time.

I've been looking into getting a vespa since then because I can go further and a bit faster; plus it doesn't require a class 6.

[phreezee]

Originally posted by C_Dave45


Interesting. The closest Pedego retailer is Lethbridge. I'd like to try a different brand. There's a retailer in Richmond that is selling e-bikes for $1300...but I just don't think it would be near the same quality as a $3500 bike.

The bikes themselves are relatively cheap and the big chunk of the cost are the batteries, which are $600 and up depending on how many amp hours you want and the type of cells. Motors should be in the $250-500 range depending on the voltage/wattage you want. My build was about $1700 including the brand new bike. There's some optional stuff that that I can add at a later time.

If you want to check it out, pm me. I have 2 you can try.

[C_Dave45]

Originally posted by jwslam
Yea we rented those in Taiwan. The battery died in about 4-5 hours, albeit none of us were pedaling and we were pushing them at full speed all the time.

I've been looking into getting a vespa since then because I can go further and a bit faster; plus it doesn't require a class 6.
See right there shows me there's a huge difference between e-bikes. ours lasted 6 hours easily (had 4 out of 5 bars left) and I never pedaled once.


Originally posted by phreezee


The bikes themselves are relatively cheap and the big chunk of the cost are the batteries, which are $600 and up depending on how many amp hours you want and the type of cells. Motors should be in the $250-500 range depending on the voltage/wattage you want. My build was about $1700 including the brand new bike. There's some optional stuff that that I can add at a later time.

If you want to check it out, pm me. I have 2 you can try.
I'm very interested. I'm serious about this for my wife. send me an email and we'll talk. (I don't have pm's enabled)
The bikes we had were 500 watt motors, 48 volt, 15 Ah rating. Samsung Lithium Ion batteries. I think they retail for well over $1,000, as those batteries are a $700 upgrade from their standard 36 volt, 10 Ah battery.

[FixedGear]

yea, e-bikes are awesome. I've been a cycle commuter for the last few years, and really would've liked one. I would've bought one but knew I was starting a new job this summer and couldn't cycle commute any more. :cry:

[C_Dave45]

I just found out that the City of Calgary has outlawd E-bikes on all our pathways. Typical Calgary, the city of rules. Everyone down in San Diego seemed to have no problem being responsible and courteous with all their bikes, they were allowed everywhere sidewalks pathways boardwalks, etc.
Meh, wouldn't stop me from using them. You can't even tell these ebikes from a regular bike.

[C_Dave45]

So just an update to this whole ebike thing...I WAS going to buy a new Pedego brand ebike, but I was looking at $3 grand. And I hated to throw my wife's current bike away. It's a perfectly good Ladies Giant 21 speed.
So I took it to Power in Motion in Eau Claire and had them do a conversion for me.
I put on new "cruiser" styled handlebars, a basket and the conversion kit. 48 volt 350 watt hub motor. Man this thing FLIES!!! Easily 25-30 kmh's.
Total Cost: $1800.


http://i68.tinypic.com/2dkn8n5.jpg

[D'z Nutz]

Every time I walk by that place in Eau Claire, I find my self stopping to look at their bikes cause I'm curious as to how they run. The idea of someone blasting down the bike path at 30km/h effortlessly is hilarious to me.

Actually once in a while I'll see someone on a gas powered bike plowing down the bow river path hahaha

[lint]

I just installed an ebike kit onto my old mtn bike for commuting, and it's the best thing ever. I'd only bike 1-2 days a week last year because the ride home took so much out of me. Now I look forward to it and can bike every day. Sticking mainly to the roads but use the pathway close to downtown. I just turn down the assist so that other bikers pass me and no one is really the wiser.

I went with a mid drive bafang bbs02 750W kit with a 48v 14Ah battery, and it came out to just over $1500, but I also needed a few tools to swap out the bottom bracket. I hit 55kph going down spruce drive this morning :burnout:

[G-ZUS]

this thread makes me miss my pedal assisted gas power bike

[blitz]

Originally posted by D'z Nutz
Every time I walk by that place in Eau Claire, I find my self stopping to look at their bikes cause I'm curious as to how they run. The idea of someone blasting down the bike path at 30km/h effortlessly is hilarious to me.

Actually once in a while I'll see someone on a gas powered bike plowing down the bow river path hahaha

Just ask to take one for a spin, they've got a few demo bikes.

I had a 20" folding Easymotion E-bike a few years ago. It helped me get my fat ass in gear and transitioned me to commuting with a real bike full time.

[RealJimmyJames]

Originally posted by D'z Nutz
Actually once in a while I'll see someone on a gas powered bike plowing down the bow river path hahaha Some dude near me has what sounds like a weed whacker gas engine strapped to his mountain bike. Sounds mean as fuck. These electric kits are a bit more subtle.

[jwslam]

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1266381423/geoorbital-wheel-make-your-bike-electric-in-60-sec?ref=nav_search

[C_Dave45]

Originally posted by jwslam
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1266381423/geoorbital-wheel-make-your-bike-electric-in-60-sec?ref=nav_search

Wow, that's pretty cool!!!

I've never looked into kickstarter. What are the chances this thing will actually be available to the consumer? Is it a "done deal" or still at the hopeful stage?

[Boosted131]

Wow, that's pretty cool!!!

I've never looked into kickstarter. What are the chances this thing will actually be available to the consumer? Is it a "done deal" or still at the hopeful stage?

looks like you can buy it now

[D'z Nutz]

looks like you can buy it now

If I were to ever e-bike it up, this would be the kit I'd get. I like how simple and easily reversible it is and the price is pretty much on par for more complex systems.

[speedog]

Kind of amused by the bump of a C_Dave45 post, kind of miss him.

[Xtrema]

If I were to ever e-bike it up, this would be the kit I'd get. I like how simple and easily reversible it is and the price is pretty much on par for more complex systems.

Front too heavy, probably won't handle well, especially if you want to lift to avoid damages.

Then that tire change doesn't look too friendly if it ever wears out or damaged.